Plum Alyonushka

Alyonushka is a special representative of the Chinese plum, which differs from its typical counterparts. Therefore, only competent planting of seedlings and careful agrotechnical care will make it possible to achieve significant yields of delicious and healthy plums. In addition, these trees have excellent decorative qualities, they will effectively decorate your garden with their flowering Chinese flavor.

The culture was the result of the works of the scientists A.F. Chinese woman and Red ball became the parent varieties, therefore the culture belongs to the Chinese table species. Testing experiments were successfully completed in 2001, after which the plum was added to the State Register with a recommendation for growing in the Central Black Earth Belt.

The culture is relatively low, medium height - 2-2.5 m, which makes it easier to care for it. Crowns of plants of medium thickening, pyramidal configuration, raised. The color of straight, non-pubescent and thickened shoots is brownish, with a red tint. Leaves are oblong, obovate, light green, matte, with double-serrate margins and slightly rounded tips.

Of the pluses, it is worth noting:

• dry quality of separation of fruits from petioles;
• wonderful commercial qualities and excellent taste properties;
• beautiful flowering;
• versatility of appointment.

Minuses:

• a high degree of susceptibility to aphids;
• during rainy periods and during snowmelt, the bark of plants can undermine in the area of ​​\ u200b \ u200bthe base of the trunk.

Ripe plums have a rounded shape and large size (30-35 g). The color of the firm and smooth skin will be dark red with a characteristic waxy coating. The consistency is juicy, cartilaginous, with a yellow-orange color. The seeds in plums are small, they are difficult to separate from the consistency.

The fruits do not crack, and therefore can be transported over long distances and are stored in the refrigerator for a long time. In terms of chemical composition, the fruits include the following: dry matter - 11.6%, sugars - 8.8%, acids - 1.4%, vitamin C - 6.6 mg.

Plums are consumed fresh, used in preserves, jams, compotes. Freezing them is often practiced.

Plums are sweet and sour to taste. Tasting score in points - 4.3.

The first harvests are obtained as early as 3 years of tree growth. Fruiting is regular, annual, does not depend on the vagaries of the weather. In terms of ripening, the culture is early.

The average yield is 19.3 kg per tree.

The culture is self-fertile.Therefore, in order to achieve high yield parameters, other varieties are planted nearby with the same flowering time. Of these varieties, the best helper (proven in practice) is Skoroplodnaya plum. In this sense, various types of cherry plums complement Alyonushka qualitatively.

The Chinese plum requires a certain amount of attention, not only when planting and caring, but even at the stage of selecting seedlings:

• you should carefully examine young trees, and when choosing them, exclude the presence of spots, cobwebs and various kinds of growths on them;
• it is better to purchase 2-year-old seedlings, since older ones adapt less well after planting and often do not survive;
• preference is given to seedlings with a large number of roots.

Planting and caring for a crop differ from similar activities for growing other types of plums.

• It is planted in open soils exclusively in the fall, since the roots of Alyonushka in the soil perfectly tolerate cold snaps. In other words, before frost occurs, the young grows productively, does not freeze over the winter, and grows vigorously in spring.
• Planting soils should be neutral or slightly alkaline.
• The disembarkation time is calculated so that before the onset of cold weather it is not less than 40-50 days.
• For disembarkation, exclusively sunny areas are selected, located on small elevations. Groundwater close to the surface of the soil is detrimental to plums, so lowlands are excluded during planting. Landing on higher elevations excludes the possibility of decay of the root collar of trees in case of heavy rainfall.
• Near the plums, planting of black currants or gooseberries is allowed. But do not plant tall fruit trees nearby, which will shade the culture.

The very sequence of planting seedlings is typical. At the end of the procedure, the volume of irrigation is 15-20 liters of water. The procedure for pruning shoots and roots when planting in autumn is not performed, since this will reduce the level of adaptation of seedlings.

The number of irrigations per season is at least 4 times. Obligatory loosening of the near-stem circles, elimination of weeds is carried out. In a dry season, the volume of irrigation increases, and in rainy periods, you should not abuse moisture: you can get the process of development of root rot.

The culture is sensitive to the addition of fertilizer to the peri-stem area. In the first two years after planting, fertilizing should be carried out twice a month, alternating organic matter and complex mineral fertilizers. In the spring, nitrogen-containing additives are introduced to activate the development of seedlings. In the future, feeding is carried out twice a year: in the spring, useful compounds with a nitrogen content are introduced into the peri-stem space, and in the fall - superphosphate additives and potassium salts (without chlorine).

In the first years of growth, seedlings do not require pruning, but in the spring it is worth removing frozen or deformed branches. The procedure of formative pruning of crowns is carried out when the culture reaches the age of five.

In areas with severe frosts, the central trunks of trees are reliably insulated, covering them with spruce branches or covering material. To protect trees from rodents, the trunks are wrapped in a special net at a height of 0.25-0.3 m.

The culture is well resistant to moniliosis and perforated spotting, which often affect other types of plum trees. In spring and early summer, it is sometimes attacked by aphids. Most often this occurs at the beginning of the growing season, when the leaves and young branches are tender and poorly protected. To combat it, folk remedies are used, for example, they are sprayed with an infusion of garlic, and in case of significant areas of aphid distribution, solutions of insecticides are used.

If in the spring you completely manage to eliminate aphids from Alyonushka, then later ants will bring it into the crown. For this reason, you have to fight with them. A simple way to control insects is to install trapping belts on the boles of the culture, 30-40 cm from the soil. An effective measure in this case will be whitewashing of boles with a mixture of slaked lime with 3% copper sulfate.

The culture has a high degree of frost resistance. The buds withstand significant temperature drops without freezing, and therefore the plum is successfully cultivated even in the unpredictable climatic conditions of the Urals.